Mano y Mono
If you have been visiting our website and reading our blog, you will know that during the Quebec Open something else was happening. Béla was feeling unwell when we left for the weekend, and went from terrible, to stable, and then just plain awful. By the time we had pulled into my driveway, it was clear that he would not be flying out that day, or the next, seeing how he could barely get out of the car and into the house. He was nauseous, feverish, the sinus infection was brutal. I called to change his flight and to my surprise American Airlines were very accommodating. We rescheduled for Tuesday - granted I was not in favour of this, but who am I to argue with a sick man.
The next week was a very messed up blur. He saw a doctor here in Quebec, was prescribed antibiotics, with the expectation that he would be feeling much better in 24-48 hours. Instead, for a week, he went from bad to worse, every side effect listed onto bottle was felt, and he was even starting to look jaundiced. He was bedridden for the most part, but the fever subsided, and somehow every day we found something positive to hold on to, that made the previous day seem worse. We tried rescheduling his flight again, because he was so weak he could not get down the stairs, therefore traveling was out of the question.
This time American Airlines customer service was rude, unsympathetic, and just kept throwing amounts of what it would cost. I asked to talk to his supervisor, he agreed and then proceeded to hang up on us. Needless to say, I will have a letter for the customer service in the near future. To add insult to injury not once did the AA agent tell me his flight can be canceled for free 60 minutes up to departure. We realized this 5 minutes past the deadline. More content for the complaint letter.
Ten days after this whole mess started he was able to fly home. His appetite had slowly returned, and he could handle soups, some solids and had the weirdest craving for green apples and mango, day and night, while anything sweet was looked upon with disdain. I joked that now he knew how every woman who has experienced morning sickness felt. I nagged until he agreed to go to a clinic in the US, because he still looked jaundiced. He found a clinic that would take him on that Friday (the next day) at 6pm.
Their system is much different then ours. You pay through the nose for care, and I cannot begin to imagine what it is like for people who do not have insurance. By the time Béla arrived at the clinic, the information he had sent via internet was already in the system, and other then filling out a few more details on a tablet, he was called in at his given appointment time. (Again, if you live in Quebec, you will know why this is a big deal.) The doctor took a look at him, asked a few questions and sent him to the emergency room at the affiliated hospital for blood work.
One blood test showed things were elevated. The doctor came by, looked at him and decided instead of shooting in the dark to find out what was wrong, that they would do a CT scan of his abdomen to rule out anything major. At times like this, being this far away from each other is incredibly difficult. I was attending our elementary school talent show, and I was surrounded by happy parents and excited children. The texts that I was reading, suggesting life-threatening problems caused some anxiety, but in my head, getting a CT scan means waiting for hours or in Quebec months. I did not think we would have any news anytime soon. However, this was happening in the US - and the results (yes results !!!) came back within the hour. No tumours, abdomen clear, more blood work needed to pin point the problem. The relief that poured through me, came out in grateful tears. They drew blood 3 more times, crossing out potential causes and it was the last one that came back with something. Béla, at 44, had Mononucleosis.
Say what now? The kissing disease? A teenager disease? Only 5% of adults have this. I always knew my man was special. I mean, if you are going to have something, this would be the best case scenario. This prognosis is the best thing we could have hoped for, other then being a nuisance, getting a lot of rest, being careful not to over do things, no lifting or contact sports in the first month, (Bela and contact sports? This was particularly funny) and consuming a protein rich diet, there is nothing more to do. It also explained the multiple bouts of vomiting daily, constant nausea, the tenderness in the abdomen, and the crazy green apple craving. His body was trying to cleanse out the toxins, and green apples are wonderful for that, low in sugar, high in protein and fiber.
He flew back to me five days later, and slowly we began the journey to healing him fully. It has been 2 months now and he is feeling stronger, has regained some of the 10-12 lbs he lost with this illness and has taken up biking again. There are still days when he feels a little more tired then he should, but our adventures have started up again, as did his appetite. I am happy to report, his consumption of burgers and polishing off big plates of food have resumed :D
